(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-heating type food binder and more particularly to the one capable of binding, without the aid of heating, raw foods such as meat, fish, shellfish, or vegetables or the combinations thereof after processing. Foods after such treatment of binding won't be disintegrated upon refrigeration or thawing, so that the binding of foods can be accomplished.
(b) Description of the Prior Arts
Two conventional prior arts in binding foods are described as follows:
A. The binding of foods is accomplished by applying a salt such as sodium chloride or a phosphate to the foods to be treated; leaving the salted food to stand for a long period of time so that the salt solution-soluble proteins are dissolved out of the foods; treating by a physical method, for example, mixing at a high speed or putting meat or foods in a container and spinning the container with the meat or foods enclosed therein after reducing the pressure in the container to vacuum; and thereafter applying a heat treament, whereby the proteins coming out of the foods are denatured and exhibit binding properties. Products obtained from such process is represented by ham, Chinese sausage, fishball and meatball, etc.
B. Emulsification process: filling or stuffing foods such as meat, fish, shellfish or fat or the combinations thereof into a casing or a tube of thin skin after the emulsification of sodium caseinate with high speed mixing, followed by a heat treatment to have the proteins of foods denatured and render the proteins binding. Products obtained from this proces is represented by hot dog and Frankfurt sausage etc.
However, the binding processes as mentioned above have the following drawbacks from the standpoint of practical use:
(1) The binding can be achieved by heating the foods so that the proteins of the foods denature to provide binding properties. However, the aforementioned two prior arts are not applicable to the treatment of raw foods including raw meat, fish, shellfish and vegetables before cooking.
(2) The taste or the flavor of foods been treated by either one of the aforementioned two proceses is tend to be affected or rendered peculiar due to the heating procedure.